True Blue Animal Rescue officers, Dale and Melanie DeAeth, preformed a rescue in Brenham, Texas on March 2, 2014. Two horses that were classified as strays were placed under T-bar care and had to be transported by Dale and Melanie.

The morning started off in the low seventies, but once reaching the location of the animals the temperature had dropped almost twenty degrees in less than half an hour. The rescuers worked in frigid weather with the horses, which are believed to be mustangs. Stray horse cases mean walking up to a horse that could have had very little human interaction in the past. Melanie DeAeath spoke calmly to the pair of horses as the temperature dropped. She made sure the animals heard her voice before she stepped into the pen where they were being held.

The two horses appeared to be mother and daughter and wanted to remain close together. Thankfully the older of the two horses already had a halter placed on her, while the younger one did not want any one near her. After observing the two for a while Dale and Melanie decided it would be easier to lead out the mother on a lead line and see if the youngster would follow. The younger horse was very nervous and Melanie knew she would not be able to touch her.

At this point in the rescue the skies opened up and the cold grew even worse. Leading the mother horse out Melanie and Dale cautioned Jason and I to back up because if the horses decided to flee we needed to be safe. The mother came out and thought about running, but seemed to slip on the now slippery ground. Her daughter came out, and also attempted to run but slid and changed her mind. Both stood for a few moments while Melanie and Dale put themselves between the horses and their option to run. Arms wide, the T-bar couple slowly walked toward the horses and forced the horses, just using their bodies, up the ramp to the trailer. The youngest paused, unsure about going inside. Dale simply clapped his hands at the little female horse and she finished her way into the trailer.

All during the trip back to True Blue Animal Rescue the rain got harder and the weather got windy. To help the horses adjust to their new setting, they were placed in a separate area away from the other T-bar animals. This would also help the current horse residents get used to the new ones. Both horses were somewhat thin, with protruding hips and bald spots, which suggest malnutrition. Dale made sure that they got some hay right away as they got settled in. The horses were then given the names Jessi, for the mother horse, and Starlet, for the daughter, due to a small white spot on her forehead.

Thanks to T-bar the horses now have people to keep them safe and work with them. Their training and rehabilitation will start with having them getting used to humans and seeing the vet. To follow the progress of Jessi and Starlet, keep watching the T-bar site or like them on Facebook. Look for them at True Blue Animal Rescue.

TBAR is a 501(c)(3) non-profit no-kill animal rescue organization. If you would like to help animals such as this one please consider donating to TBAR, volunteering, fostering, or adopting. Donations go directly toward care, feed, and veterinary care of the rescued animals and every little bit helps us to help another animal in need of safety and rehabilitation. Save a life: adopt instead of shop and spay or neuter your pets!